1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mobile utility equipment, and more particularly, to a substantially self-contained utility trailer which can be used in the field to accommodate a wide variety of maintenance and daily farm work projects. The trailer can be pulled by substantially any vehicle including trucks, tractors, automobiles and the like, and the power equipment in the trailer can be driven by an auxiliary engine or by a power take-off unit on the towing vehicle. The utility trailer is designed to provide a compact tool, equipment and parts carrier for a wide variety of projects and operations, and is capable of mobilizing both power and hand tools as well as essential equipment to perform substantially any job in the field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, various prior art utility trailers have been used for performing a variety of work functions, including maintenance and construction projects. Typical of such units is the mobile power unit described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,733,661 to W. F. Surgi, which discloses a mobile power unit consisting of an engine mounted on a trailer and designed to provide power for driving electric power tools, operating lights and the like. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,643 to W. Hagelgantz discloses a portable welder which is coupled to a towing vehicle and is operated by a power take-off unit provided in the towing vehicle, the welder itself being attached to a wheel-mounted platform for mobility. Other trailers typified by the trailer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,743 to Thomas J. Toomey are also known in the prior art. The Toomey combination kitchen and clothes trailer is designed to be pulled by a towing vehicle and is fitted with a hinged side panel which may be lifted and supported on a pair of rods to expose the interior of the trailer, which is designed to receive an oven, a refrigerator and various storage bins for easy access while in the field. The trailer also includes adjustable shelved compartments for the storage of food and other items, and the front and rear of the trailer are fitted with doorways which open into a hall area to provide access to a clothing storage area extending the full length of the trailer and equipped with extendable clothes racks. In like manner, U.S. Pat. No. 2,365,940 to K. W. Couse discloses a traveling workshop built in a truck, which shop includes work benches and a variety of tools and equipment of various description, including welding and related equipment. The truck is also fitted with panels which are hinged to the body and which may be lifted to provide access to the various interior areas of the workshop in a manner similar to the trailer disclosed in the Toomey patent.
One of the main problems associated with performing maintenance, construction and general job operations in rural areas, and farming operations in particular, is the difficulty of providing adequate maintenance and achieving efficient job performance at widely scattered locations in the various farming operations. Ownership of the variety of tools and equipment necessary to accomplish the various jobs does not, in the absence of ready access to such tools and equipment and a technique for providing the proper tool and/or equipment to the desired location at the proper time, insure success in the mechanical operation of a farm. For example, while the power take-off equipment provided in a modern tractor may serve to operate certain equipment such as conveyor systems, seeding equipment and grass cutting implements such as the well known "Bush Hog", there frequently exists the need to perform, for example, a welding operation for on-the-spot repair work at one location, and to operate a pump or air hammer at another point, and the like. Completing the variety of jobs to be done by using equipment which is stored in a central location such as a barn or warehouse translates into several trips to the barn or warehouse area to pick up the proper equipment, move it out into the field to the specific location where it is needed, and perform the required job. This requires a great expenditure of time and effort, and frequently means that some jobs are simply not taken care of for lack of time. The result is deterioration of equipment, high expense, and inefficient use of both manpower and equipment.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved utility trailer which is capable of carrying all of the necessary equipment, tools, and supplies, including power tools and equipment, as well as spare parts and accessory items to effect maintenance and servicing of existing equipment, as well as performing the everyday farming operations and other operations incidental to the use of the trailer, which trailer is also capable of driving the power tools and equipment by means of a self-contained auxiliary engine or a power take-off unit on the towing vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved utility trailer which is capable of carrying a wide variety of tools, parts, equipment, and supplies, including such equipment as a welder, air compressor, vise, anvil, and a winch, and other tools, which power equipment may be driven by a power take-off unit built into the towing vehicle or by an auxiliary engine carried by the trailer.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved utility trailer which can be towed by a suitable vehicle such as a tractor or a truck, and which is fitted with removable or folding and retractable side, front, and rear panels to expose the interior of the trailer for easy access to the tools, equipment and/or parts.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved utility trailer which may be easily towed to and from remote job locations in the field, and which is fitted with power equipment, including power tools and a power winch, and which may also contain spare parts and a vise, an anvil, gin pole brackets and gin poles in cooperation with the winch for lifting operations.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a utility trailer which is capable of being coupled to and towed by a vehicle such as a tractor or a truck, and which is fitted with a power take-off drive means for driving equipment located in the trailer such as a welding rig, an air compressor, and other power equipment including a power winch, which trailer further includes hand tools, spare parts, and a pair of removable gin poles for use in cooperation with the power winch to lift equipment in the field.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved utility trailer which is capable of being removably hitched to a towing vehicle and which is compatible with a power take-off unit and/or an auxiliary engine carried by the trailer for driving power tools and equipment located in the trailer, which trailer is also fitted with side panels and end panels which can be opened and recessed into racks built into the top of the trailer or opened and propped in an essentially horizontal position to provide shade and to permit access to the equipment, tools, parts and/or supplies located in the interior of the trailer.